San Antonio, Texas, boasts a rich and diverse history deeply intertwined with the fabric of American culture. Founded in 1718 by Spanish settlers, it was initially a Spanish mission and presidio (fortress) called San Antonio de Béxar, established to secure Spain’s claim to the region and convert indigenous peoples to Christianity. The most famous of these missions is the Alamo, which played a pivotal role in Texas history during the Texas Revolution in 1836. San Antonio later became a key hub for trade, military operations, and cultural exchange, with influences from Native American, Spanish, Mexican, and Anglo-American cultures shaping its identity. Today, it’s renowned for its vibrant arts scene, historic landmarks like the River Walk and Spanish colonial missions, and its celebration of multicultural heritage.

Although there are several missions throughout the city, we had visited them in the past and this time we chose to skip them. Instead, we went to the River Walk to stroll along the waterway, take a guided tour in one of the river boats that operate there and to get some Mexican food along with some shopping in the Historic Mexican Market area. Weather prevented us from doing much else. It was the beginning of Spring and we had the threat of severe thunderstorms and rain almost every day. Luckily for us, other than rain, we missed the severe weather.

Park Review – San Antonio / Alamo KOA Holiday

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/2
Location: San Antonio, TX
Type: Commercial Park
Check-in/Check-out times: 1:00/12:00
Site Quality / Amenities: Pads are gravel and the roads are asphalt. All sites have a picnic table and fire pit. Patio sites have a concrete patio, premium fire pit and picnic table with a umbrella. Being a KOA Holiday, the park has a lot of family style amenities including a catch and release fishing pond, swimming pool, patio cafe, dog walk area, bike and pedal cart rentals, Gaga ball, playground and basketball area. We visited during spring break and there were also some limited activities like bingo and movie nights. For those without an RV, they also have numerous cabins available for rent.
Access: Easy access from I-10 or I-35 on Gembler Rd. about 5 miles west of the river walk/Alamo area.
Staff: Staff were friendly and efficient. They provide escorts to your site.
Cellular/WiFi: 5G Verizon was fast for downloads at 103 Mbps but slow for uploads at only 1 Mbps. Starlink speeds were good to great but there are a fair amount of large trees that could cause blockage depending on the site.
Restaurants: Mi Tierra in the Historic Market Square, was once considered by us to be a great restaurant but now it just seems to offer good Tex-Mex. This is a popular restaurant and bakery that stays busy throughout the day.
Nearby parks: We didn’t look at any nearby parks.
What we liked: This park is not in what would be considered a better part of town but the park itself is gated and security seems to be pretty good. We didn’t have any real concerns while staying there. Although possible, the city recommends not trying to find parking for larger vehicles (like our dually truck) downtown and we had concerns about theft anyway. Luckily there is a bus stop right across from the KOA and Uber is always available. We had no problems taking Uber.
What we didn’t like: As is typical for many KOAs, this park is quite expensive for what you get. Many of the areas surrounding the park have a high crime rate and made us uneasy about leaving our truck parked at stores and restaurants.
Verdict: Although expensive, we’d probably stay here again if we decide to visit the area but we’d likely stay for only a few days. For us, the Alamo / river walk area is the main attraction and that can be done in a day or two. We decided we liked it better when we actually stayed at a hotel on the river and could just go to the river walk whenever we wanted without the expense and time of taking an Uber.